New Years Resolutions For Your Phoenix Car

When the country’s economic crisis hit in 2008, Phoenix was hit very hard. It was one of the hardest hit labor markets in the entire country with over ten percent unemployment and more than twelve percent of jobs lost. Local housing prices in Phoenix dropped over fifty percent during this time period as well.

One indication of the recession was how long people were holding on to their vehicles. In 1995, Americans on average held onto their cars for about 8.4 years. In 2002, this figure was 9.6 years. At the height of the recession, residents of Phoenix, amongst other hard hit areas started holding on to their cars upwards of 11 years.

While our recovery has finally started to happen and residents are finally seeing more jobs and income stability, many people have found that keeping older cars may not be such a bad thing. Maintaining an older car may cost more on individual repairs than a leased car where “everything is covered”, however, how much are you paying?

In a three year lease, you may spend around $20,000 or more for your car. Yes, repairs are free (because they have calculated the risks and know that you usually won’t need them) but is it really “free”? If you have a car you own, that you spent even $10,000 on years ago, and need only occasional repairs on, you are still going to spend far, far less than you would on a leased vehicle. You can usually save fifty percent or more on your vehicle.

A key thing to keep in mind, with the new year being here, and all of the resolutions we are all making, is that maintaining your used Phoenix automobile is key. Take care of it. Whether you live in Phoenix or in the surrounding areas, keep your car in shape. Get the oil changed on schedule which is roughly every five thousand miles. Get the car serviced if the light indicates it’s necessary. Ignoring small trouble signs can lead to needing a new car or potentially much more expensive repairs. When you want to keep a car longer, it is more important than ever to do the routine maintenance. In addition to the maintenance on your care, being a safe and fuel efficient driver helps to extend the life of your car, as you are not as hard on the vehicle and its parts which makes for longer lasting automobiles. Driving aggressively, hard braking and fast accelerations are all hard on your vehicle and will put more wear and tear faster on your vehicle than it can easily handle.

Luckily for residents of Phoenix, and all of Arizona for that matter, we do not have bad weather to contend with, like most of the country does, and the consequent wear and tear from the elements. The longevity of your car is typically in your hands, and is up to your care for the vehicle. If you are interested in keeping an automobile for ten years or maybe even longer, it takes TLC. TLC for a car is in the form of oil changes, fuel efficient driving, service when needed and proper inspections and repairs. Whether you live in Phoenix or elsewhere, make 2014 start right with a clean bill of health for your vehicle. Especially in Phoenix, very few people live without a car. We know you need your car to get you where you want to go!

Contact us today!